Obama Bows Towards Japanese Emperor

[Goldwater]

How low will the new American president go for the world's royalty?

This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference for a superior.

To some in the United States, however, an upright handshake might have looked better. Remember Michelle Obama casually patting Britain's Queen Elizabeth on the back during their Buckingham Palace visit? America's royalty tends to make movies and get bad reviews and lots of money as a sign of respect.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/wash...ito-japan.html

I figure I'll post this before someone else does.

I think this is different from the Saudi event though, in Japan a bow is basically a handshake or a sign of respect, the question is though - is Obama giving the nation of Japan the governing rights of America via this act?

[GrumpyOldLady]

That's okay. It was overdone, but okay.
All he had to do was a head nod and 'bow' from the shoulders or so.
(I lived there .. that's what we all did).

It's the bow to kiss the feet of the Saudi King that is really bad.

The Japanese thing really isn't anything.

[Goldwater]

That's okay. It was overdone, but okay.
All he had to do was a head nod and 'bow' from the shoulders or so.
(I lived there .. that's what we all did).

It's the bow to kiss the feet of the Saudi King that is really bad.

The Japanese thing really isn't anything.

Huzzah!

[MountainMan]

Another facepalm incident. The President of the United States isn't suppose to bow to anyone. This man is a tool.

[hampshirebrit]

Another facepalm incident. The President of the United States isn't suppose to bow to anyone. This man is a tool.

Jaaaaislijk... he really is a tool.

I thought the pic might be faked when I saw it. But it's the real deal.

Just fuckin' horrible to see a thing like this. :eek::( He really doesn't have a goddamn clue.

[NJCardFan]

Another facepalm incident. The President of the United States isn't suppose to bow to anyone. This man is a tool.

Bowing to Chinese or Japanese people isn't a sign of subservience. However, Obama did bow way to low. We see him shaking hands here. When shaking hands to slightly bow at the waist is permissible, however, it is customary to bow as low as the person bowing to you. Since we don't see how low the emperor bowed, we really don't know Obama's motives for this extremely low bow.

[AlmostThere]

Bowing to Chinese or Japanese people isn't a sign of subservience. However, Obama did bow way to low. We see him shaking hands here. When shaking hands to slightly bow at the waist is permissible, however, it is customary to bow as low as the person bowing to you. Since we don't see how low the emperor bowed, we really don't know Obama's motives for this extremely low bow.

On Fox News Sunday they showed the clip of the greeting. What you see the emperor doing in this picture is the extent of his bow.

On edit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kyD_e0Y7FQ

[Eagle]

That's okay. It was overdone, but okay.
All he had to do was a head nod and 'bow' from the shoulders or so.
(I lived there .. that's what we all did).

It's the bow to kiss the feet of the Saudi King that is really bad.

The Japanese thing really isn't anything.

I tend to agree with GOL, no big deal.

[samurai]

That's okay. It was overdone, but okay.
All he had to do was a head nod and 'bow' from the shoulders or so.
(I lived there .. that's what we all did).

It's the bow to kiss the feet of the Saudi King that is really bad.

The Japanese thing really isn't anything.

I agree, bowing is very common in Japan, and is used as a basic greeting and farewell.

OT, but when and where did you live in Japan? I lived there from 1996-98, teaching English on the JET Program. I lived about 1 hour south of Osaka, in Wakayama prefecture. Japan is a great place.

[hampshirebrit]

I'm sorry, but the sight of any leader bowing down to any another like that really disturbs me.

Doesn't matter who it is. It just is not right. There is something deeply wrong about this.

If it really is needed, a slight downward turn of the head is sufficient. There is no need for anyone to make a right angle like that. That anyone should do that, off their own bat, is demeaning.

I'm sorry, but that pic bothers me on all sorts of levels, maybe some of them wrong, but .... What we're seeing there is. just. not. right. It is so bad, that it hurts to look.

The more I see this kind of thing, the more I thing America picked the wrong person last November.